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Category Archives: SCIENCE

The Reason We Yawn Might Actually Be To Cool Down Our Brains

David Smothers March 17, 2014

Just like the CPU in your computer, the human brain has an optimal temperature where it runs best. But unlike a computer’s CPU, there’s no built-in fan to chill the brain when it starts to run hot. Which is why researchers now believe that yawning is actually the body’s physiological way of keeping the brain… Continue Reading »

JURASSIC PARK

First Blood-Filled Mosquito Fossil Makes Jurassic Park Feel More Real

David Smothers October 15, 2013

A team of scientists just made an exciting and very pop culture-friendly discovery in Montana: The first ever fossilized mosquito with a belly full of blood. This little guy’s been hanging out underground for 46 million years, and it’s a small miracle that it hung in there so long. “The abdomen of a blood-engorged mosquito… Continue Reading »

ASTRONOMY

Whoa, These Sci-Fi Laser-Shooting Telescopes Are Gloriously Real

David Smothers October 5, 2013

bservatories don’t just gaze into the endless starry abyss above our heads; sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes they shoot righteous 40-watt lasers into the great beyond too. Obviously it looks awesome, and this stellar timelapse showcases exactly how awesome. (Spoilers: very awesome.) The location is the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, and this new, fantastic… Continue Reading »

PLANETS, SCIENCE

Watch A Livestream of the Equinox Right Now

David Smothers September 22, 2013

Summer is really over. For real. Today. No. Stop making cutoffs. Actually, if you’re in the southern hemisphere summer is just beginning. You may proceed. The Earth will reach the equinox at 4:44 EST and the Slooh Space Camera is livestreaming now. If you haven’t started talking about nutmeg and using words like “autumnal” you’re… Continue Reading »

SCIENCE

Scientists Made a “Terminator” Polymer That Can Heal Itself Like Magic

David Smothers September 14, 2013

We might not be able to build a liquid metal T-1000 killing machine yet, but we just took a huge step towards building a plastic one. Scientists have managed to develop a new polymer that—when cut in half—can heal all by itself. Pretty awesome trick. Developed by a team of Spanish scientists, the material is… Continue Reading »

HEALTH, SCIENCE

Scientists Just Grew Human Heart Tissue That Beats With Total Autonomy

David Smothers August 13, 2013

oming fresh on the heels of the news that scientists are successfully 3D printing live, working, mini human kidneys, a new report in Nature is giving another burst of hope to the future of organ transplants. For the very first time, a research team has been able to grow human heart tissue that beats totally… Continue Reading »

SCIENCE

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence Is Absolutely Fascinating

David Smothers July 12, 2013

We poke fun at Siri and pretend to get scared by Humanoid robots and make our neck hair stand up straight by watching quadrocopters do amazing things but the truth is, artificial intelligence is still pretty dumb. But that’s going to change! The rise of artificial intelligence is happening and they’re learning a lot more… Continue Reading »

FREE ENERGY

Solar-Powered Sun-Tracking Briefcase Battery Guarantees Perpetual Power

David Smothers July 12, 2013

If you’ve got travels in the near future that will keep your gadgets away from the live-giving power outlets that keeps them charged, trade your briefcase full of ‘important’ files for this equally vital solar-powered battery-filled attaché. When the SunSocket’s set of solar panels are fully deployed, they automatically track the position of the sun… Continue Reading »

EDUCATION, SCIENCE

Kids Rap About Science, Somehow Don’t Look Like Total Nerdburgers

David Smothers June 29, 2013

Apparently the GZA is on to something*, rapping helps kids learn. As part of the same program started by Dr. Chris Emdin of Columbia University’s Teachers College, these ninth graders are learning all about science by rapping ionic bond with gauge bosons. It’s working, and now I want to watch kids rap about mitochondria all… Continue Reading »

SCIENCE, WOMEN

A Fifteen-Year-Old Has Invented an Incredible New Kind of Flashlight

David Smothers June 28, 2013

Are you ready to play everybody’s not-so-favorite guilt game: what was I doing at that age? Ann Makosinski, a tenth grader from Victoria, British Columbia, has created a simple LED flashlight powered by body heat. So instead of having to recharge it or swap in a fresh pair of AAs every so often, you literally… Continue Reading »